Class 4A State Finals Recap

Plainfield Rallies to Win First State Softball Championship
The Plainfield Quakers trailed for five innings Saturday night, but a three-run sixth was enough to put away the Huntington North Vikings 3-1 for the Class 4A championship. The win marked the first state championship in softball for Plainfield, in their first state finals appearance.

Getting the win on the mound for the Quakers was Courtney Collins (12). The senior (15-4) gave up only one run on five hits in seven innings of work and struck out nine.

Behind the plate, Plainfield was led by Maggie Stahl (11) who had one hit and one run. Also scoring for Plainfield was Brook Bryant (11) and Hallie Johanningsmeier (12). Bryant scored the go-ahead run on a walk in the bottom of the sixth. Johanningsmeier followed up the next play by taking home on a wild pitch. Mackenzie Reeder (10) also contributed an RBI in the inning.

Coach Paris Seibold’s Vikings were paced by Erin Rethlake and Alyssa Hiple (10). Rethlake had two hits in three at bats, and Hiple added one hit and one RBI, which came in the fourth inning.

Plainfield, led by 11th year head coach Brad Beaman, finished the year with a 23-9 record. Huntington North finished the season at 23-8.

The four-game session drew a state finals record crowd of 4,369.

Laura Daronatsy of Huntington North wins Mental Attitude Award
Members of the IHSAA Executive Committee announced Laura Daronatsy of Huntington North High School as the winner of this year’s Mental Attitude Award in Class 4A Softball.

Laura is a three-year member of the Vikings’ varsity softball team, and was named to the Academic All-State team in 2012. She is a member of the Student Athletic Board and is president of Huntington North’s chapter of the National Honor Society.

The standout student owns an 11.4 GPA on a scale of 11. Laura will attend Biola University (California) to major in journalism.

She is the daughter of Art and Rhonda Daronatsy of Huntington.

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the proud corporate partner of all IHSAA tournaments, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Huntington North High School in the name of Laura Daronatsy.